Prominent Thai medic says infections have yet to peak, restrictions still needed
A leading Thai doctor says the public must adhere to Covid-19 restrictions as case numbers have yet to peak in the Kingdom. Dr Prasit Watanapa from the Faculty of Medicine at Siriraj Hospital took to Facebook to update the public on the latest developments in the Covid-19 crisis facing Thailand.
According to a Bangkok Post report, Prasit says the daily infection rate indicates that Thailand has not yet reached the peak of this outbreak. He says many people continue to violate Covid-19 restrictions through public gatherings. He has also pointed the finger at schools, accusing a number of educational facilities of organising events that contribute to the spread of the virus.
“But if everyone strictly complies with Covid-19 measures I believe the number of new cases will drop sharply between September and October. Meanwhile, the government must speed up vaccinations to cover at least 25% of the population by the end of this month. I’d say this is possible if no unexpected events, such as a massive cluster outbreak, take place.”
The Bangkok Post reports the doctor as saying other countries have also had to reintroduce restrictions due to the rapid spread of the Delta variant. He says the US is reporting around 100 deaths a day, but this is a significant reduction compared to the thousands of daily deaths the country was experiencing prior to the rollout of vaccines. He adds that the UK, France, and Italy are seeing a similar surge as a result of the highly-contagious Delta variant.
Prasit points out that while Covid-19 vaccines will protect against serious illness and death, they do not stop people from becoming infected and passing the virus on. For this reason, restrictions must remain in place for now.
“This new information has shown us that the vaccine alone won’t be enough to prevent outbreaks. Social distancing measures are still needed. Moreover, herd immunity can’t happen if there are no vaccines for children.”
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
